


Brownies are Enablers

by SleeplessSquad



Series: Hiccup's Little Friends [2]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Hiccup stays up all night and reaps the consequences of his actions, Magic things are jerks sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26436796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleeplessSquad/pseuds/SleeplessSquad
Summary: After spending the night working on a project with his friends, Hiccup's lesson at the academy is a scavenger hunt because it can give him time to sneak off and take a nap.Of course, people sleep at night in the safety of their own homes for a reason.
Series: Hiccup's Little Friends [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1921675
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Brownies are Enablers

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Soul of a Druid](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5555366) by [SilverlySilence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverlySilence/pseuds/SilverlySilence). 



Stoick knew  _ exactly _ when Hiccup met the brownies. Except, he also didn’t. What he saw was Hiccup sleeping in later and later, and he heard Hiccup talking to himself up in his room.  _ Good,  _ Stoick thought,  _ About time that boy starts spending time with his peers. I won’t ruin that.  _ The thought that maybe the person Hiccup was talking to  _ wasn’t  _ one of the riders never crossed his mind. Regardless, he let his son be because honestly, Stoick was not as well-versed on how to approach Hiccup about many things as perhaps a father should be. 

The riders were also a bit concerned with Hiccup’s schedule. Before the nest, they hadn’t really thought about what Hiccup did, content to let him do his own thing while they did theirs. Had he always slept the morning away and stayed up all night? Except with dragon training, sometimes it was obvious he was operating on less sleep than he should be, but every time they tried to weasel answers out of him, he’d just smile and change the subject. 

One particular evening, they bid their friend goodnight. As he strode towards his house, they gazed up to his room and wondered “What’s going on up there?”

* * *

Hiccup’s father had gotten held up looking for Bucket, who’d wandered off looking for the sheep to take them to the barn. The problem was that Bucket got the chickens confused with the sheep again, so he saw sheep in the sheep pen, but thought the sheep weren’t there, because he thought the sheep were chickens. This type of confusion had started happening a lot lately which was concerning, because he’d never had this issue before, but it allowed for Hiccup to keep a steady supply of milk and cream in the cupboard without his father suspecting anything going on, so Hiccup wasn’t going to look a gift yak in the mouth. 

“Hey guys!” Hiccup greeted the crew of brownies already scuttling around the house. Most of them, the ones not holding anything, waved at him while he made his way to the kitchen. A few of the ones he talked to most shouted “Hello!” from across the room. In the kitchen, Hiccup got two pans and filled one with milk and the other with cream from the cold cellar. “It’s on the counter for whenever you guys have a minute, Hiccup said, picking up some food for his dinner and making his way upstairs. 

On the way, he was stopped by Og calling his name and scrambling up onto the table. 

“Hiccup,” he said “Do you know what…. This… is?” Og made a disgusted face as he held up what looked like a wad of earwax and hair suspiciously dark for anything found in the Haddock household matted into the shape of a… dog? Or was that an ox? It was suspicious because no one in the Haddock household had black hair. 

“Just. Just throw it away,” Hiccupadvised. Og gave it one last look before winding back his arm and throwing it. From his vantage point on the table, Og’s throw made it all the way across the room and landed solidly in the fire. Hiccup whistled, thoroughly impressed.

When he opened the door, Hiccup was greeted with not only the sight of Toothless jumping in through the window, but also the sight of a crew of brownies heating bits of metal over a candle and beating it into shape with rocks carved into tiny hammers over an anvil of iron made from a block Hiccup used as a paperweight.

“What are you guys working on?” Hiccup asked, taking a seat at his desk. Meeg brought forth a set of blueprints that looked like a rod of metal with two holes drilled in, and two nubs that stuck out of those holes.

“We saw how easily Gobber’s hand slips off-” 

“How’d you see  _ that?  _ I thought you guys only came out at night because everyone was in bed!” Hiccup asked.

Kad snorted. “Yeah, maybe you should tell Gobber that” 

“Anyways,” Meeg snorted in laughter before gesturing back at the paper. “It’s supposed to make it harder for it to fall off. See, whatever attachments he has, it’ll have two holes on it. And these nubs here-” She gestured to the nubs drawn “will stick in the holes and prevent it from falling off.”

“Then how will he get it on and off?”

“Oh!” Did said, “The nubs have springs behind them! So he pushes the nubs in until it’s flush with that pipe that will be attached to his arm, and then he can slip the attachment on. And when he needs to get it off-”

“He pushes the nubs back in!” Hiccup said, nodding. “That’s smart! We could probably use that for a lot of things, now that I think about it.”

They worked long enough for the sky to darken and then lighten as well, ignoring Toothless, who tried several times to pull Hiccup to bed by his shirt before giving up and jumping out the window to sleep on the roof. 

* * *

“Gobber! GOBBER!” Hiccup shouted over the pounding of a hammer on glowing metal. 

“Wha’? “Wha’ izzit?” Gobber asked, after he finally stopped hammering. As he turned to his apprentice, he noticed the redness of Hiccup’s eyes, and the way Hiccup’s shoulders slumped and head lolled just a tad more than normal.

“Ye didn’ sleep,” Gobber accused. 

“No! I did!” Hiccup tried to argue, but Gobber’s unamused galre let him know that the only way to save this encounter was misdirection. 

“Well anyway,I saw how your hand always falls off-”

“No, it doe’n’t! Made it wi’ me own ‘and!” Gobber defended, adjusting his slipping prosthetic, to Hiccup’s triumph.

“Fine, i’ gets loose from time ta time. Bu’ don’ think fer a  _ minute _ i’ means I need ta ‘take a break,’” Gobber said. 

“I have no idea why you’d ever jump to _ that _ conclusion,” Hiccup said, smiling innocently. 

“Neither do the weird holes in meh wall tha’ keep croppin’ up outta nowhere.”

“But anyway! I have this!” Hiccup proffered the result of last night’s effort. Gobber looked at it. Then he looked at Hiccup. 

“An’ it es…” 

“It’s a replacement cup for your prosthetics! I made it last night,” Hiccup said with a twinge of guilt. He hated taking credit that wasn’t his, but secrecy mattered more to the brownies than glory.

“Righ’! Thanks! Lemme’ just fi’ i’ on this  _ ol’ _ cup tha’ es not made fer tha’” Gobber said, smirking at his apprentice. Hiccup huffed. 

“Duh. I was going to make you a new one last night-”

“So tha’s what you were doin’ all nigh’!”

“No, I slept. Anyway, I didn’t have your measurements. So that’s why I don’t have a new cup. But I’ll make one! I can right now, if you want!”

Gobber laughed. “Nah, you go on. I’ll do it meself when I get the time. Mehbe ge’ some rest while yer at i’.”

Hiccup protested, wanting to see the finishing of this project himself, but Gobber waved him off. 

Outside the forge, Hiccup could see the sun was higher in the sky than he’d like.

Sighing, Hiccup set off towards the arena. 

On the way, he checked his pocket for Did and Lops, two brownies who’d wanted to watch and make sure Hiccup’s prosthetic was working the way it should after adjusting that as well last night. They were still sleeping peacefully. Lucky.

* * *

Oh, the joys of teaching. Hiccup was exhausted. He’d gotten caught up with the brownies, he hadn’t planned a lesson, he hadn’t had breakfast, he hadn’t slept since…. was it Woden’s Day already? Regardless, Hiccup was not prepared for class.

Which is particularly awful since he is, of course, the teacher. 

“Ok, gang, today we’re going to do a scavenger hunt on Dragon Island and I want you guys to make it from one side to the other without setting anything on fire, destroying anything, or hurting any dragons.” Ok. That sounds like he planned ahead. Good improvisation, Hiccup!

“Uhh,” Snotlout said, “Isn’t that what we  _ tried _ ? And we got caught by Dagur?” Snotlout questioned. Oh crap! 

“That’s why we’re trying again. To see if Dagur’s back, and because we failed the first time.” Good excuse. Hopefully they’ll buy it. The twins shrugged, Fishlegs nodded, Astrid crossed her arms, and Snotlout rolled his eyes. 

“You mean  _ you  _ failed last time,” He corrected. 

“Yes, Snotlout, I failed. Now pack a lunch. We’re gonna be there all afternoon.”

“Anyway, here’s the list. You guys need to get uhhh… a scale of a dragon, a leaf with a hole in it, a rock with no sharp points... a stick that has two twigs coming out of the sides, a mushroom, a … stick with one leaf, and … one of Dagur’s crossbow bolts. And so you guys can get hours traversing places and encountering wild dragons, I will give you a  _ really _ long time to do this. So there’s no excuse for failing. Meet me back here in…”  _ Man, a four hour nap sounds perfect right now,  _ Hiccup thought. “Four hours.” He should be able to stay awake that long.

That should give him enough time to collect his own items. 

“Can you write down a list with everything, maybe?” Fishlegs asked. 

Hiccup sighed. “Yeah.”

“Why do we need to collect so much junk? ‘A stick with a leaf on it’, what’re we gonna do with that?” Ruff asked. 

“It’s to help you muttonheads hone your observational skills, obviously,” Astrid said. Thank you, Astrid!

“What if we find a stick with a leaf, but like the leaf has a hole in it? Does that count for both?” Tuff asked. Astrid hit him. “It’s a fair question!” 

* * *

The flight to Dragon Island was awful. It wasn’t nasty weather or anything, Hiccup was just so exhausted that he nearly fell asleep. 

Since he’d planned out his course in advance the last time they’d visited, Hiccup knew  _ exactly _ where Dagur’s camp had been, and roughly where Dagur’s crossbow bolts had landed. Everything else he should be able to find easily around the area.

It was just going to be a boring trek through the woods alone. 

Except for Did and Lops.

“Hey, guys, we’re here,” Hiccup said into his pocket. He felt them squirming then they climbed into the hand he’d been holding for them. Hiccup placed them on his shoulder as he continued his hike. 

Did yawned. So they _were_ also tired!  
“I have no idea ow you’re still awake,” Lops grumbled. 

“Neither do I,” Hiccup admitted. “That’s why I suggested this particular training exercise. So I could get it down then take a nap.”

“Whoa, wait. In the forest?” Did asked, sitting up.

“Uh, yes?” 

“Bad idea,” Did said. “Not in any forest but your own.”

“Why not?” Hiccup asked.

“You don’t know what’s out there. It’s not  _ safe. _ ”

“The most dangerous thing I’ve ever encountered here is Dagur,” Hiccup said. “Last time, I didn’t see anything weird. Not human, at least.”

“Still. The fae on your island like you. They’ll take care of you there, but here? Who knows?”

“Well, the fae here work with  _ us _ , remember?” Lops interjected.

“Still. It doesn’t give me a good feeling.” Did said adamantly.

Eventually, they reached Dagur’s campsite, which was weirdly clean. The fire pit was filled with fresh kindling, and a stack of wood was gathered nearby. Hiccup didn’t pay mind to it, thinking it was one of the riders, but it renewed Did’s paranoia.

Hiccup had gathered everything he needed except the stick with the leaf, but he could get that from a tree. 

“Do you know of any dead limbs the trees want gone?” Hiccup asked his companions. The brownies listened for a moment, then directed him to an old birch tree. 

“Do you think you can get me the leaf with the hole in it?” Hiccup asked. Did seemed reluctant to leave him, but after nothing had happened, he agreed. 

“But only if Lops stays with you,” he decided. 

At the birch tree, Hiccup saw the dead stick was just above Hiccup reach. Hiccup set Lops, who’d fallen back asleep, on the mossy ground below him and out of the way, then he jumped for the branch, missed, then fell back to the ground. Hiccup tried again, and this time, the branch bent downwards into his reach. Hiccup hung from the tree for a moment in surprise, watching the nearby branches rustle like something was slithering through them. When nothing came, Hiccup heaved himself up and let the momentum of him falling back down break off the branch. 

“Oof!” Hiccup landed on his back in the forest. Why get up, then? He still had maybe three hours for a nap. But best to be careful with the fae. He thanked the forest and fell asleep. 

* * *

Hiccup jerked awake, quite literally. He was suddenly soaring above the treetops by a set of claws wrapped around his waist.

From his slightly upside-down angle, he could see that the dragon who’d abducted him was a timberjack. Hiccup huffed in annoyance. They weren’t an overly aggressive species, so he wasn’t worried, but what the heck was  _ that _ for?

Soon enough, the timberjack dropped him into a nest soft enough that Hiccup wasn’t overly hurt. Several hatchlings squeaked and moved closer to investigate him. The mother, the timberjack who’d abducted him, landed and pushed him into the middle of the nest with her hatchlings. Then, she circled around them and laid down, covering them all with her wings. Mom, as Hiccup had decided was easy enough to call her, bit his vest and pulled him closer before she turned her attention to her true hatchlings. Hiccup tried to slide to the side of the nest to escape, but his plans were foiled by Mom grabbing his vest again.

So he waited. And then tried again when she wasn’t looking. What  _ else _ was he supposed to do? But again, he was foiled by Mom’s watchful eye.

Sighing, he leaned back against her warm side, and she rumbled reassuringly at that. Her hatchlings had fallen asleep by that point. Hiccup might as well too. He hadn’t managed to finish his nap and if he slept now then he could spend the night working on a new idea he had with-

Wait. 

Hiccup shot up, which startled Mom. She crooned at him while Hiccup frantically checked his pocket. No, they were. 

They were gone!

“Please, we need to find my friends!” Hiccup gasped, turning to Mom. “They’re tiny, and I think-- Lops is still under the tree!”

When Hiccup clambered to the edge of the nest, Mom grabbed him yet again and tugged him back. She raised her head and stared off into the treeline. Then, she grabbed him again.

“Wha-” Hiccup stammered, watching her stretch her wings. Then, she grabbed him and took off again. Hiccup yelped and clutched a talon. “Where are we going?!” He hollered over the wind. Mom shook her head and flew on. 

Eventually, she reached a flat meadow where she dropped Hiccup as gently as she could. He still rolled a few meters from the momentum, but he got up with only a few bruises. 

Mom let out a shriek and then looked at him expectantly. 

“Um... “ Hiccup stammered. She crooned encouragingly and nudged his chest. At Hiccup’s confusion, she shrieked again. 

“Ok?”

Another shriek. 

“I don’t know what you want from me.”

This time, Mom shrieked then immediately nudged Hiccup. Hiccup swore he could hear something behind him giggle. 

“HELLO?” He shouted. 

“HELLO?” A voice behind him mimicked, sounding exactly the same as him. Hiccup whirled around and searched the trees for the mimicker, but he found nothing. 

“HELLO?” The voice echoed again, sounding from where it was now in front of him. Mom set off in that direction, gently pushing him along the blunt side of her wing but still glaring off into the undergrowth.  
They followed the echoes back to the place where Hiccup had fallen asleep. 

“HELLO?” sounded one last time—still a perfect imitation of Hiccup’s voice—before the forest fell silent. Hiccup rushed forward and gathered his dropped belongings (and the scavenger hunt items) then surveyed the forest floor desperately for any sign of his lost companions.

“Hiccup!” A voice rang out. Hiccup sighed in relief and turned to smile at Lops and Did.

“Hey! You guys are ok! What happened? Why-” 

“Whoa!” Did interrupted. “You need to get out of here. Fast.”

“What? Did, why-” 

“Erkling. He’d’ve killed you.”

_ What the heck is that?  _ Hiccup wondered, but instead he asked “Where’s everyone else?” 

“Waiting for you,” Lops said. “Just find them and pretend everything’s fine. You’ll be ok!” 

“Then what about you guys getting stranded?” 

Did snorted. “Magic. We’ll be ok, Hiccup. But  _ you  _ won’t be if you stay here too long.”

Just then, a branch snapped. Hiccup’s head shot to look, and he could have sworn he saw a pair of glowing eyes peering back at him. 

“Go!” Did urged. Mom snatched Hiccup’s vest and swung him off the ground, before taking off once again. 

Soon enough she found the riders and dragons all standing around waiting for their final member.

They ignored the fact that Hiccup had been carried in by a timberjack because that was just par for the course for Hiccup. 

“What took you so long?” Astrid asked when he’d been dropped on the ground.

“I,” Hiccup stuttered, looking over his shoulder. Mom was pacing around them, glaring into the forest. “I got a little bit sidetracked.” Hiccup admitted.

“Yeah. You didn’t successfully avoid the dragons. For the second time on this mission,” Snotlout pointed out. “I on the other hand-”

“But I got everything. Let’s go get dinner!” Hiccup interrupted. And as that was the magic phrase (and the way to avoid Snotlout’s boasting) they ran towards their dragons and took off for home. 

One last look over his shoulder provided Hiccup with a glance of the Erkling. 

* * *

“So what  _ is  _ the Erkling exactly?” Hiccup asked the brownies that night. 

Suln sighed and put down the metal bits he was trying to fit together. “A nature spirit. If you spend too long in a forest, he’ll lure you deeper. He can kill with one touch.”

“I’m sorry,” Did said. 

“What for? Hiccup asked. 

“I. I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault we let him get so close to you. He showed up when you were sleeping” Hiccup gasped. He’d known it’d been close, but that close?

“Lops went to get help” Did continued. “The local fae, you know? And we managed to get word to that timberjack. She offered to help. That’s why she took you. I tried to keep him away in the meantime. We tried to wake you, but you. You were practically dead to the world. So mind explaining why you haven’t been sleeping in on the mornings we’re here?”

Hiccup set down his own tools. “Yeah, about that…”

“Look,” Og said. “You rest. We’ll work on this. Meet at the beginning of each night, but no more all-nighters, ok?” 

“But-” 

“But no. Hiccup, he’s right. You need rest!” Meeg argued. “You’re not going to use any of this-” She gestured to their blueprints of weapons, armor, and other items of various purposes “to protect yourself if you’re too tired to use them!”

“Fine,” Hiccup gave in. 

It was the best rest he’d gotten in weeks.


End file.
